Steam iron



May 13, 1952 R. J. SCOTT STEAM IRON Filed DeC. 19, 1951 Patented May 13, 1952 RobertI Je Scott,.,. Blue Brings", Moi; assigner tol John C; Hackern. Kansas Citzf,4 Mo.;- astrstee for Henry'. J. Talge and Fostexhlav TalgeJ Applieati 'liever-nner 19, 193i, serial N6: -aezs'e'of (el. starry The present invention relates-in' generallto flat irons for pressing fabrics, andit dealsm'orelparlticularly with an improved construetionlin elecl* tric steam-generating r irons.'

Broadly speaking, itlis `the object off thefi'n'veiie tion to provide asteam' iron-of theAtype-hav-inga" self-contained boiler or water storage' reservoir-`l and which may be used-either withl orfwithout'- water in the boilerdepending upon-whetherfthef operator desires todo steam'iroriing'- or "dry ironing.

In this connection, an'important obectlresides in the provision in a'steam ironvof the :foregoing type of means for emptyingthewaterf-reservoiror boiler quickly, easily and convenientlyfwhile the iron is hot in order toconvert'the unitto-a dry iron with a minimum of` troubleanddelay or in order to clear the boilerfof* water preparau tory to storing the iron away after' aEpartictilarl steam pressing job has been completed.

A feature of the invention liesirlprviding valve means for closing'the'boilers'-stea'm dis# charge passageway-at willand, whe-this lisdone', in utilizing the steam:- pressure intheboiler-l tor` drive the water out through an auxilaryipassaga* Way. According to anotherfeatire," thewatei" s-f discharged from theboilerf u'nde'r thefoi'geing circumstances through the saine outlet asi used-'l in discharging steamfrom the blerinfth'e course of the normal steam ironing* operation;-

Another object is to provide a valveand pas sageway construction of the character indicated which is readily accessible for service purposes for replacement of parts and for 'cleaning` Other and further objects ofthff"invention, to# gether with additional features oi" novelty by* which the objects are achieved, will app'earin fthef course of the following descriptionj In the accompanying drawings whichdrm a part of the specication and are to' b`e"read"` -in conjunction therewith, and in which like refer ence numerals are employed to lndicatelikpartsf of the various views: v

Fig. 1 is a sideelevatio'nal View Yo1 a'steam iron' embodying my invention, parts having been" broken away for purposesof illustration`," I

Fig. 2 `is an enlargedcross-seotional detai1`of` the valve and conduit construction ieniplc'iye'd"in"V my iron, and i Fig. 3 is a fragmentary" cross section taken along the line 3-3 of Figi linthe dlrectiohof the arrows.

The steam iron shown' in the' drawings "isr'fwotf the general type disclosed inPatent:,2425;5'72; 4 issued to Edward P.` Schreyei"onJu1y'5;` 1949." It`A comprises? a sole plate I0 witha boiler shell I"2 mounted on the" upper' surface thereof;` an' electricallresist'anceelementr I4' embedded in thesole`V plate'fisiadaptedto heat the latter and? alsothef Hifhgdlttlieiupper side of` thebo'iler at I8' is a-coveirlorshieldplateizyand-this has a handle The forward end oi plain'ed-fllyY in the aforementioned Schreyerpatentsonednotbe dealtwith indetail here:

Asi'also described inthe-Schreyer patent, the upp l*vvell-of tlieboiler isprovided with a fun'- nel-like-lleropening-30!v to whichaccess may be hadlife'rflling-'th'e-boiler with water) when the the surface of the water. When the shield plate is swungy backdownand latched,l a spring-biased closure-"3323carried on the-underside of the-plateY seats againstand-sealsthe filler opening;

Inthe forward portieri' ofthe boiler Iprovidea generallyhorizon-tal baffle `3l# whose entirelateral marginis inloon'tactwith the insideL wall of the boi1r'shell.`= Preferably,l the medial portion of the14 ba'isconcavo-convex `and/or the baffle is formed with corrugations as shownto'increase its rigidity;

A ,stand pipe--or-steam discharge `rtube 36.- ex'-` teridsthrough'theibafe approximatelyv centrally thereof 'and has itslower end welded or bra'zedin anapertre inthe bottomf I2a of the boiler. The

tubef'mayfalso' Abewelded or brazed to the baie where'fit passes" therethrough in' order to give' thelatter central support, butin the interestof manufacturing economy and' simplicity, I prefer to obtain this support by means of acoiled compression spring. 3l "which encircles the tubeV and presses` 'upwardlyon the bafe. Joining tube 36 nearits uppfei"extremity is 'an auxiliary tube 33 that extends" `diagonally"downward through the bameaidhas'its lowerniost end 4against the "bote sheldlplate'iis:urilatehed and* swung up toits raised psitio'ri- Therlowerrim-of the Illerop'en;

events? the waterfr'oi'n rising above f aV` level inl?A the? boilerl and insures that 'tli'iei'salways an airorsteam space abovevtom of the boilerin the forwardmost portion Y thereof close to the juncture of the side walls I2b (see Fig. 3) the purpose of this will be made clear presently.

Tube 36 communicates at its lower end with a chamber 46 in the sole plate, the latter being covered by a at plate 42. Around this cover plate is a marginal opening 46a through which steam can escape from the chamber 40 onto the fabric being ironed. That is to say, in the course of the normal use of my unit as a steam iron, the steam generated within the boiler l2 passes upwardly around the baule 34 into the steam space 44; entering the upper end of tube 36, it then flows downwardly through the tube intochamber 461 and escapes through the outlet port around the margin of plate 42. (The latter plate, it will be noted, also serves to conceal the screw 46 employed to anchor the forward end of the boiler to the sole plate.) Y

The assembly` at the upper end of steam tubeV lll 36 comprises an externally threaded bushing 4 8 receivedin an aperture in the top Wall of the boiler and having a flange 48a that is welded or brazed to the boiler as may best be seen in Fig. 2. A vertically elongated cap V50 is screwed to this bushing, the two elements together forming a dome whichvextends upwardly from the boiler so that its upper end is received in a cavity 52 in the forward post of handle 22. The top of the cap is aperturedas shown at 50a- Between the upper end of bushing 43 and an internal shoulder 50h in the cap is a centering washer or guide 54 which slidably supports the valve stern 56. The upper end of the latter isV enlargedas shown at 56a and a coiled compression spring 58 between the enlargement and the centering washer serves normally to maintain the valve stem in raised position as shown. The lower end of the stem is of reduced diameter and has a taperedvalve member 60 screwed thereto, a spacing washer 62 and a sealing disk 64 being clamped between the valve member and the shoulder 56bpon the stem. The valve member 66 is, of course, centered above the open upper end of steam tube 36. Disk 64 is formed of gas.A

ket material that is unaffected by the moisture and high temperature of the steam to which it is subjected; and by its sealing engagement with the bore 48h of bushing 48, it prevents escape of steam into the cap 56.

In the upper forward portion of the handle 22 of my iron, there is a socket 66 which loosely receives thumb button 68, A plunger shaft 'lll extends downwardly frorn the button, this being aligned with the valve stem 56 and normally having its lower end resting lightly on the top of the valve stem which is of course exposed through the aperture 50a in the cap 50. A snap-ring 12 disposed in a suitable annular groove on the plunger shaft prevents the latter from moving upwardly beyond the position shown.

By way of describing the operation of the foregoing arrangement, let it be assumed that my device is in use as a steam iron; that is to say, steam generated as the result of the lboiling of the water I6 passes through the steam space 44 into the upper end of tube 36, then flows downwardly through the tube into the chamber 46 and escapes through the outlets 46a onto the fabric being ironed. If this mode of operation is continued sufficiently long, the water i6 will of course become exhausted through the conversion of all of it into steam; and the iron then may be used as a conventional dry iron or alternatively 4 the boiler may be refilled for continued use of the unit as a steam iron.

However, it often happens that while the boiler still contains a substantial amount of water, the operator desires to press some particular garment without discharging steam into the fabric, and it becomes very desirable in such event to be able to effect the conversion to dry-iron operation without the delay that would be involved in Vboiling away all of the remaining water in the usual fashion. Again, in the event water remains in the boiler when a particular pressing job has been completed, it is wasteful of time and electricity if it is necessary to allow the iron to continue heating for a prolonged interval in order to clear the boiler of water before the iron is stored away.

According to my invention, if it is desired at any time to discontinue generating steam and empty the water remaining in the boiler, it is only necessary for the operator to press on the thumb button 68.for a brief interval while theY sole plate continues to heat. This obviously moves valve 66 downwardly so that it seats in and closes the upper end of the steam discharge tube 36. The pressure ofthe steam acting downwardly on the surface of the water now causes the water to flow upwardly in tube 38, then downwardly in tube 36 so that it enters chamber 46 and is blown out of the marginal opening 40a by the steam.

The `discharge of the water takes place rapidly and can be facilitated by tipping the forward end of the iron slightly downward near the end of the operation. This places the open lower end of tube 38 at what becomes the lowest point in the boiler, and since the last remaining water will drain to this point and enter the tube, the boiler is made virtually dry in a very brief interval.

During the foregoing emptying operation, baf ile 34 also helps, in the event the iron is tipped forward rather abruptly, to keep the water in the correct region of the boiler to enter tube 38. During the conventional steam ironing operation, of course, the baiiie prevents the water from splashing into the open upper end of tube 36 due to the motion of the iron. Y

When the thumb pressure is removed from button 68 after an emptying operation, it will be evident that spring 58 restores the valve 66 to the position shown, opening the upper end of tube 36. It will also be clear that whenever the handle and shield plate assembly is unlatched as described hereinbefore and swung up about hinge I8 to give access to opening 30 for the purpose of filling the boiler with water, the thumb button and plunger 10 move upwardly with the handle; however, on bringing the latter back to the position illustrated and latching it down, the plunger is brought back into juxtaposition'with the valve stem 56 so that the emptying operation may thereafter be carried out as explained, without any further adjustment or presettingvof the parts. l s, M

When the handle and shield plate assembly is swung up. access is had not only to the filler opening 30 but also to the valve assembly whichv y controls the water-emptying operation.V .That is to say, it is only necessary now to unscrew cap 50 in order to disassemble the valve mechanism for replacement'of the sealing disk 64 or other servicing. Also, when the valve parts' are removed, access is had to the upper endv of Ytube 36. which facilitates cleaning the latter and permits.

5.1? removal of. any.I foreign., become lodged therein.

While 1 have shown` the water discharge tube 38 as being diagonal and having its lower end close to the forward juncture of side walls I2b to facilitate complete removal of the water, it will be evident to those versed, in thel art` that this is not absolutely essential. It is important, however, that the lower end of the tube be close to the bottom of the boiler and that the` upper endcornmunicate with thesteam;v discharge tube 364 at a point somewhat above the. surfaceof the water; otherwise, the water would overflow into tube 26 even when valve 60 is open, causing globular water to be discharged along with the steam in the course of the normal steam-ironing operation.

Inasmuch as various possible modifications of the invention thus may be made without departing from the scope thereof. it is to be understood that all matter herein 'set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinbefore set forth, together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the apparatus.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a steam iron, a sole plate having means for heating same, a liquid-receiving boiler on the sole plate, said boiler having an enclosed steam space above a water space, a duct having an upper opening located in said steam Space and having its lower end extending through the sole plate to discharge steam from said steam space onto material being ironed, said duct having a valve at said upper opening, means normally holding said valve open, means for closing said valve, whereby said opening may be closed, a second duct in open communication at one end with said first duct below said upper opening and valve and having its other end extending into said liquid space in the boiler, whereby when said valve is closed the flow of steam from said steam space into said duct is cut off and the steam pressure in the steam space is caused to force water from the water space up said second duct and thence down the first duct.

2. A steam iron as in claim 1 wherein the submerged end of said second duct is open in the liquid space in said boiler at a point near the front end of the bottom of the boiler.

3. In a steam iron, a sole plate having a steam outlet port in its lower surface, a liquid-receiving boiler mounted on the upper surface of said sole plate, said boiler having an enclosed steam Space above a water space, a duct having its lower end located in the liquid space in the boiler and its upper end connected to said outlet port, the portion of said duct intermediate said two ends extending through said steam space and containing an opening through which steam from said space normally enters the duct, and valve means associated with said opening for closing said duct to the steam space, thereby to cause the steam pressure acting on the surface of the liquid to force the liquid into said duct through said one end and discharge saine through said outlet.

4. A steam iron as in claim 3 wherein the submatterthat` marmara 63 mergedend of. saidwductis open.. tof thelieuid; im the boiler at a point near the front endmfiths bottomA ofthe boiler.

.5.; In a. Stream IQIL. 21:59.16. llaeihilliiiaastm. outlet; port. in its lower-,-suriace,1 afweten reservoirmounted on the uppersuliface, of; thesolei plate, said reservoir having a water space: and; an en- Closed; steam; spade;V abovey saidI water. space.;` a. steam` discharge; duct, communicatingatits lower.` and,withrsa1 outlet port andfcommunzioatina at; itszupper end Withisai ,st lveimeansi associa-ted; with the; upper,H end. duct; for:l closingr same` offf from. said steam: space. andU means providing a passageway from said water space into said duct below said valve means whereby water can enter said duct from said water space when the upper end of said duct is closed off from the steam space, said means comprising an auxiliary duct having one end located in said water space at a point near the bottom of the reservoir, the other end of said auxiliary duct being in open communication with said first duct at a point below said valve means.

6. In a steam iron, a sole plate having a steam outlet port in its lower surface, a water reservoir mounted on the upper surface of the sole plate, said reservoir having an enclosed steam space above the surface of a water space, a stand pipe communicating at its lower end with said outlet port and extending upwardly therefrom through the water space in the reservoir, the upper end of the stand pipe being above said water space, a valve member above the stand pipe and in alignment therewith, spring means urging said valve member upwardly so it normally is spaced above the upper end of the stand pipe, manually operable means for moving the valve member downwardly against the force of said spring to close the upper end of the stand pipe off from said steam space, and means providing a passageway from said water space into said stand pipe, said means comprising a duct having one end located in the space in the reservoir at a point near the bottom of the reservoir, the other end of said duct being in open communication with said stand pipe at a point below the upper end of said stand pipe and valve member.

7. In a steam iron, a sole plate having a steam outlet port in its lower surface, a water reservoir mounted on the upper surface of the sole plate, said reservoir having an enclosed steam space above a water space, a stand pipe communicating at its lower end with said outlet port and extending upwardly therefrom through said water space, the upper end of said stand pipe being above the water space, a dome in the top of the reservoir over the upper end of the stand pipe, a valve element supported in said dome for vertical movement, spring means urging said valve element upwardly so it normally is spaced above the upper end of the stand pipe, the top of the dome containing an aperture, means including an operating member having operative connection with said valve element through said aperture for moving said valve element downwardly against the force of said spring to close the upper end of the stand pipe olf from said steam space, gasket means sealing said dome against the escape of steam through said aper ture, and means providing a passageway from the water space into said stand pipe, said last means comprising a duct having one end located in the water space in the reservoir at a point near the bottom of the reservoir, the other end of said duct communicating with said stand pipe at a'point below its upperendand said valve' element. Y Y

8. A steam iron as in claim '1, whereinsaid operating member is loose from said valveY element and normally in loose abutting relation thereto through said aperture.

9. A steam iron as in claim 7, wherein said operating member is loose from said valve element and normally in loose abutting relation thereto through said aperture, a supportfor said member, means releasably latching said support to said reservoir, said support when unlatched and moved away from said reservoir carrying 8. said member out of abutting relation to said valve element.

ROBERT J. SCOTT.

' REFERENCES CITED The followingvreferences are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED' STATES PATENTS Hoecker Cot. 30, 1945 

